New York S/S 13 Denim Highlights

We’ve just trawled the New York runway images that have been arriving in our image search over the last week and- wow! There’s so much denim content to share we’re going to give you two blog posts on the denim-heavy shows; one today and one on monday.

Phillip Lim set the tone denim for his S/S 13 collection in New York this week. Inspired by the William S. Burroughs’ famous “cut-up” technique, Lim edited and altered familiar denim shapes and surfaces using tailoring techniques like Fold Ins and attached shredded layers to create his upscale grunge aesthetic. The deconstructed 90s theme was channeled through the refreshing palette of icy acid wash indigos and toxic limes while tonal patchwork techniques and tattered denims further complemented the look. Masculine inspired shapes like boxy shirt dresses, slouchy pants and utility coveralls were all given the right touch of femininity demonstrating why Phillip Lim is the wardrobe staple for gorgeous girls these days.

The city that gave Donna Karan’s diffusion line its name has remained a constant throughout her collections, and this season, the designer continued to explore the urban uniform through an active lens. This season, Karan equipped her savvy city dweller with sporty yet chic separates to go from day to evening and any occasion. Tailored basics were layered against sculpted streetwear denims like short culotte hybrids, low slung jeans with curved out seams and loose jumpsuits neatly tied at the waist. The mainly monochrome palette provided a nice base for the flashes of prints, while slick leather panelled pants evoked the minimalist strain that Karan was so instrumental to in the 90s.

Duckie Brown’s S/S 13 collection channeled a “tough laddish” mood with its definitive take on classic blue collar silhouettes. The show opened with a series of bleached chore coats paired with oversized denim slacks in contrasting dark raw denims, which led to more familiar denim jackets and sporty jackets that had a added an authentic sense of toughness. The standout piece from designers Steven Cox and Daniel Silver included a trucker jacket with orange tape that contoured the shoulders as well as a skirted pant that unfurled from the back.

For S/S 13 Ana Sui mixed her long-standing love affair with the 70′s British Punk scene with inspiration and dedication to the legendary interior designer, Madeleine Castaing. This led to a runway full of juxtaposing styles and details with strong focus on rich embellishment and fabrication. The kilt silhouette featured as a key item with more classic pieces such as the biker jacket and the denim shirt reworked with leather inserts and embroideries.

A Favorite of the Stylesight denim team, Gerlan Jeans always brings a bit of fun and color to New York Fashion week denim. The collection was it’s usual cartoon-like self, this season inspired by Minni Mouse silhouettes and hair styles, (the show was aptly named ‘Minnie From The Block’) with high-color cartoon repeats covering denim skirts, jeans and dresses. Our favorite item was the bib n brace tank and the item they named ‘Bow-veralls’- an A-line dress with stylized bib and giant bow. Cute, sassy and in your face, we loved it.

A distinctly nautical air permeated the Hilfiger runway, with juxtaposed and mis-matched sailor stripes, Rivera blazers and clean breton jerseys complimenting the denim. Pant fits were upsized for both men and women, with bright-cast vintage wide-legged styles juxtaposing against the clean and neat separates. A key stand-out item for women was the wide-leg short-culotte and all denim came with clean patch and repair detailing. Guy’s shirts were worn fitted and button-down with colorful striped ties for a playful take on preppy.

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Amy Leverton’s 10 years of experience working in denim design and trend analysis have made her an undisputed expert on indigo. Her years of attending fabric and apparel shows and connecting and working with mills and laundries have provided her with vast industry connections. Needless to say, her jeans collection is pretty impressive, too.

Prior to joining WGSN, Sam studied Fashion Merchandise Management at the University of Westminster in London, where he completed a 6-month internship at Stylesight during a study exchange in New York. Sam’s budding denim knowledge has been propelled through his experience at premium high street retailer Allsaints, which also helped develop his discerning taste for subtle denim details and original workwear brands.